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15 October, 2010

Bremer Boneless Ribette Meal

The Bremer Boneless Ribette Meal is ALDI's version of the more famous Banquet Boneless Pork Rib Meal. Bremer doesn't specify "pork" in the product name because their "ribette" is a mixture of pork, beef and - of course - the textured vegetable protein that is ever-present in meat patties like these. Along with the patty, there is also a small serving of mashed potatoes and whole-kernel corn.

Although a little spongy (thanks, TVP!) the ribette patty is pretty decent, with a good meaty flavor and a texture very similar to good homemade meatloaf. It's been "barbecue seasoned" with various non-heinous magic dusts which include tomato powder, salt, molasses granules, dried vinegar, brown sugar, onion powder, garlic powder, and natural smoke extract. The end result is quite palatable.

The rib patty is drowned in a cheap-tasting barbecue sauce that's made mostly of modified food starch and sugar. There's too much of it, and I suspect that it's responsible for a fairly decent portion of the 10-ounce net weight of the overall meal, but I will give the manufacturer credit for not using high-fructose corn syrup and for tinkering enough with the recipe that the sauce is not actually disgusting.

There isn't much to say about the mashed potatoes or the corn. The potatoes are a fairly standard dehydrated product, enjoyably spudly, and the corn is kind of soft and overcooked. Even at that, though, the corn is better than its Banquet counterpart because it isn't tough or chewy.

Overall, I can't muster up any hate for this lunch. It delivered exactly what I expected and brought it in under budget because it only cost 88 cents. I would definitely buy it again.

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